Frankenly
Speaking
He's good enough,
he smart enough,
and doggone it,
we like him!
Al Franken
brings his
special brand
of humor to a new
W series.
Al Franken as
"Latelinel" Al
Freundlich: "Not a
threat, not good-
looking, bad on
camera and
unliked by
America."
4/3
1998
88
A
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to The Jewish News
touch with his own huge ego, either.
I'm certainly a news junkie like
Freundlich is, but I think I'm a little
l Franken for President?
bit more self aware than Freundlich."
Not on his new TV series
Being self aware — and family
"Lateline" — but maybe in
aware — gave impetus to the upcom-
his next-book.
ing episode about Buddy Hackett,
"It's about an entirely Jewish
whose niece, Helene Siegel, lives in
administration, and I kind of get
Michigan. The plot immerses the
impeached," joked Franken. "My vice
"Lateline" staff in a search for a news
president would be Sen. Joe
hook on an otherwise slow day when,
Lieberman, D-Conn., and I think
suddenly, they learn that not only is
we're a balanced ticket because I'm
Ya.i- Sir Arafat's plane thought to be
Reform and he's Orthodox. I eschew
missing, but Buddy Hackett is
the whole idea that the administration
believed to be dying.
has to look like America."
"I'm a huge Buddy Hackett fan,
Before turning himself into presi-
and my dad was a huge Buddy
dent, Franken turned himself into Al
Hackett fan," Franken disclosed.
Freundlich, his "Lateline" character, a
"Some of my fondest memories are
news correspondent variously
watching TV with my dad and watch-
described as "not a threat ; not good-
ing my dad laugh at Buddy Hackett.
looking, bad on camera and unliked
"When John and I were flying out
by America."
to shoot the first episode, we hap-
Franken created and produces the
pened to be on the -same plane with
series that parodies Ted Koppers
Buddy. We met him, and [later] a
"Nightline" with John Markus, who
writer pitched the idea of a celebrity's
was a behind-the-scenes principal for
dying right before lateline' goes on
"The Cosby Show" and "The Larry
the air.
Sanders Show." They make sure scripts
"We wanted to build that show
include appearances of actual news-
around Buddy so we went to his
makers, such as Robert Reich (ex-
house and asked him to do it. I think
Labor secretary), Ralph Nader and
he was terrific, and I'm very happy
Dick Gephardt, to give some authen-
with the episode."
ticity to the comic storylines.
On a deeper level, Franken is very
"I think Freundlich has a pureness
happy college experiences turned him
of heart and really wants to do
to a comedy career. Although he per-
',,, the best news show possi-
formed standup routines as a high
ble," said the 50ish
school student in his hometown of
Franken, who
Minneapolis, the TV personality
wrote the pilot and entered Harvard heading for a physics
contributes
degree.
rewrites for
"I didn't think that comedy could
other episodes.
be a career because it didn't occur to
"Freundlich
me that people really did it," Franken
isn't corrupt-
said. "Later, it occurred to me that
ed by the
[although] my aptitude academically
ratings
was in math and science, I had to do
game,
[comedy] because I wasn't interested
in anything else.
but he's
not
"My brother went to MIT
really
(Massachusetts Institute of
in
Technology) and graduated in physics,
but he also went through a similar cri-
sis and became a photographer."
Franken believes the support of his
parents helped him transition from
physics to farce.
"I think the reason my parents did-
n't really get that upset when I told
them what I was going to do [is
because] it's an honored position in
the Jewish culture to be a comedian,"
Franken said.
"I grew up watching Buddy, Jackie
Vernon, Alan King, Myron Cohen,
Georgie Jessel, Jerry Lewis — all the